Shloka 2
भीष्म उवाच अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । मनो: प्रजापतेर्वादं सुवर्णस्य च भारत,भीष्मजीने कहा--भारत! इस विषयमें प्रजापति मनु और सुवर्णके संवादरूप प्राचीन इतिहासका उदाहरण दिया जाता है
bhīṣma uvāca | atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam | manoḥ prajāpater vādaṁ suvarṇasya ca bhārata |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Bharata, dalam hal ini juga dikemukakan suatu teladan purba—sebuah kisah lama berupa dialog antara Prajāpati Manu dan Suvarṇa. Ia dibawakan sebagai contoh untuk memperjelas maksud etika yang sedang dibicarakan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That dharma is often clarified through authoritative precedents: Bhishma introduces an ancient illustrative narrative (itihāsa) to ground the ethical discussion in a recognized example rather than mere opinion.
Bhishma, addressing Yudhishthira as ‘Bharata,’ announces that he will cite an old account—specifically a dialogue between Prajapati Manu and Suvarṇa—as an example relevant to the topic being discussed.